Central Park

This setting is important as the place where Barrett sees what he believes to be a celestial light. It also sets the stage for the novel's exploration of the mundane versus the miraculous, as Barrett is initially walking through its familiar surroundings staring at the frozen groundscape in a downtrodden, defeated way, only to find, in looking upward, a sight that will propel him on a search for personal and spiritual meaning.

Later in the novel, the park is mentioned again as Sam explains to Barrett its history as a place designed to cater to the affluent.

The Bushwick apartment

The apartment where Tyler, Beth, and Barrett live is important in that it is the place of Beth's convalescence and recovery, the place where Tyler secretly uses drugs, and the setting for the New Year's Eve party in which Beth comments cryptically that there is "not much...